POLITICAL ACTION: OFF THE CUFF; The Perils of the Campaign Trail

By MARK LEIBOVICH

Published: October 17, 2006

Kinky Friedman, the writer, singer and comedian who is running for governor of Texas under the slogan ''How Hard Could It Be?'' is learning that, well, maybe it's not as easy as he thought.

Mr. Friedman, a self-styled ''compassionate redneck'' running as an independent, has been portrayed as more redneck than compassionate in recent weeks after the Texas N.A.A.C.P. demanded an apology for his past use of a racial slur to describe African-Americans. (He refused to apologize.) He has also called the Hurricane Katrina evacuees in Houston ''crackheads and thugs.'' In his defense, Mr. Friedman says he is ''not a racist'' but a ''realist.''

Polls show him trailing by double digits, and Mr. Friedman rebuffed a request last week by the Democratic candidate, Chris Bell, that he quit the race. ''We don't negotiate with terrorists,'' he said. MARK LEIBOVICH